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1. NAME AND OBJECT
The Club shall be called
The NBA Cat Club. Its objects shall be to encourage responsible
breeding practices through experienced breeders acting as mentors for
novice breeders with the exchange of ideas between all breeders, and
to organise events such as educational seminars to fit in with the
educational aims of the club.
2. MEMBERSHIP
The Club shall consist of:
i)
Founder members
ii)
Ordinary members
Application for membership shall be made in writing or online and may
be accepted or rejected at the discretion of the Committee.
3. DUTIES OF
MEMBERS
Every member
shall strive to promote the objects of the Club. (Rule 1) and shall
bring to the notice of the Committee any matter contrary to those
objects of which he/she becomes aware. Any such matter, or any other
suggestions for improving the Club, to be sent in writing, to the
Secretary, who shall bring the matter to the attention of the
Committee. Membership of the Club shall imply acceptance of the
rules and objects of the Club
4.
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
a) If, in
the opinion of the Committee, the conduct of any member has been
prejudicial to the welfare or breeding of cats, or likely to prove
injurious to the character, reputation or interest of the Club, the
Committee may, after giving such member an opportunity of being
heard, determine either:
i) To suspend
such member for such period as it may think fit:
ii) To give
warning to such member if mitigating circumstances should so warrant;
b) No such
determination shall be made unless the Secretary has given to each
member of the Committee and to the member of the Club concerned,
notice of a Special General Meeting of the Committee and of the
business to be discussed thereat, such notice to be in writing, and
to be given not less than fourteen days before the date of the
meeting.
c) Any member so
suspended or expelled, shall have a right of appeal to a Special
General Meeting of the Club and to attend and state his or her case
thereat, and shall be reinstated if such an appeal receives a simple
majority of those present. A request for such an appeal must be made
in writing to the Secretary, within 28 days of notification of
expulsion or suspension.
d) If a member has
been suspended or banned from keeping animals, he or she will
automatically be suspended by the NBA Cat Club for a period to be
decided upon by the Committee, for at least the same as, but not
confined to the same period of the suspension.
e) The club does
not support the supply of cats or kittens for resale via pet shops
and retail outlets. The Committee shall have the power to exclude
from membership of the NBA Cat Club any person who adopts this
practice.
5. SUBSCRIPTIONS
a) The
subscription for members shall be payable annually on the anniversary
of the member’s date of joining. The amount shall be reviewed
annually at the AGM and will become effective 3 months after the
review.
b) If any member
fails to pay his/her subscription 6 weeks after the renewal date,
their membership will be considered to have been lapsed.
6. MANAGEMENT
a) The business
of the Club shall be managed by a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, a
Secretary, a Treasurer, and 5 (five) elected members.
b) Nominations for
the positions of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer,
shall come from the membership and be elected by the membership
except on inception of the committee. Should no nominations be
received from the membership, the positions of Chairman,
Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected from the
Committee and ratified by the membership at the AGM. The Secretary
and the Treasurer shall be elected for a period of three years, after
which time they may be eligible for re-election. The Chairman and
Vice-Chairman shall be elected annually but may only stand for a
period of three consecutive years, after which they must be replaced.
They may stand for election to the Committee as an ordinary member
and may be eligible for re-election to the positions of Chairman and
Vice-Chairman after a period of one year. No two persons from the
same household shall be allowed to be Officers of the Club at the
same time.
c) No Officer or
Committee Member losing his/her position as the result of a formal
notice brought up at the AGM, or as the result of a Special General
Meeting, shall be eligible for re-election for at least ten years.
d)
President and Vice President
Shall be
elected at the AGM for a period of three years, after which time they
may be eligible for re-election if desired. No duties are imposed
upon them apart from loyalty to the Club and sympathy with the
objects of the Club. The Club is not obliged to fill these
positions.
e)
Patrons
Shall be nominated by the Members at
the AGM in recognition of their services to the Club. No duties are
imposed upon them apart from loyalty to the Club and sympathy with
the objects of the Club. They have no specified term of office.
f) Committee
Members
There shall be 5
(five), 2 of which retire annually in rotation with 1 retiring in the
third year, and shall be eligible for re-election. Committee members
must be fully paid-up Club members. In the event of a vacancy
arising on the Committee, the Committee may co-opt a member until the
next AGM, but that co-opted member shall have no voting powers. The
vacancy shall be filled by election in the normal manner at the next
AGM, and the person elected to fill that vacancy shall hold office
only for the unexpired portion of the term of office of the person in
whose place he or she was elected.
g) The Committee
may appoint such sub-committees or working parties or additional
positions as is deemed necessary, members of which need not be
Committee members. Such Committee shall report to the Club Committee
their findings.
h) The Committee
shall have the power to make such bylaws as are consistent with these
rules, to cover any matter arising in the management of the Club, and
to deal with any question not provided for by these rules. Such
bylaws to come into effect immediately, and to continue if ratified
by the following AGM.
7. VOTING
a) Nominations proposing and seconding
eligible persons for membership of the Committee, together with the
written consent of the person so nominated, except existing members
who are agreeable to stand for re-election, must reach the Secretary
by not later than the date specified by him/her. In the event of
more than one nomination being received for any vacancy, voting shall
be by postal/email ballot. Voting papers to be sent to all eligible
fully paid-up Club members, who shall each have one vote, and the
papers then to be returned by the specified date to the independent
scrutineer named thereon, who shall not be a Club member. The result
of the ballot shall be notified to the Secretary by the scrutineer,
members then to be notified accordingly. In the event of a tie, a
re-vote shall take place by the same method between the candidates
who have tied.
b) A formal notice calling for the resignation of any
Officer or Committee member shall be dealt with by a Special General
Meeting or may be brought up at the AGM.
If an AGM supports the motion by a simple majority, it shall be the
duty of the Secretary to hold a postal/email ballot of all members to
be completed within 60 days of the AGM, and if a simple majority of
the members voting support the motion, the person whose resignation
is sought shall resign his/her office immediately. Should the
members present at a Special General Meeting support the motion by a
simple majority the person or persons whose resignation is sought
shall resign his/her office immediately.
8. MEETINGS
Committee Meetings
The Committee shall meet as necessary throughout the Club year and at
such meetings, 4 ordinary members and 2 Officers shall form a
quorum. The Chairman, or in his/her absence, the Vice-Chairman, to
be the Presiding Officer. Every Committee member present at a meeting
shall have one vote excluding the Presiding Officer. In the event of
equal voting, the Presiding Officer shall have the casting vote. Any
member of the Committee who fails, without sufficient reason, to
attend the first post electoral meeting and at least two thirds of
the meetings, seminars, or other events called during the Club year
requiring the presence of the Committee, shall cease to be a member
of the Committee, and shall not be eligible for re-election for three
years. He/she shall be informed of the decision of the Committee by
the Secretary. It is a requirement of Committee members to be
actively involved at any main seminars that the Club holds, to
support his/her colleagues in achieving the aims of the Club. All
business of the Committee shall be considered confidential.
General Meetings
A General Meeting of the
Club to be called the Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held not
later than February 28th in each calendar year.
The Presiding Officer to be the Chairman or in his/her absence the
Vice-Chairman. In the absence of the aforementioned, the Chair to be
taken by an Officer or member of the Committee elected from amongst
themselves. The agenda for the meeting, together with the minutes of
the last AGM and a statement of the accounts examined by an
independent person for the preceding year ending 30th
November, shall be sent to each member's household not later than 14
days before the date of the meeting by post/email.
The quorum to be 10 per cent of the fully paid up members including
at least 4 Committee members, and at least 2 Officers. Any member
wishing to have an item placed on the agenda, must inform the
Secretary, not less than four weeks before the date fixed for the
AGM. Every member present at a meeting shall have one vote excluding
the Presiding Officer. In the event of equal voting the Presiding
Officer shall have the casting vote.
Special Meetings
A Special General Meeting may be held at any time the Committee
considers it expedient, and shall be held upon receipt by the
Secretary of an appeal from a fully paid-up member under Rule 4c, or
of a written request signed by at least 20 per cent of the current
membership of the Club, stating precisely the business to be
discussed thereat, this meeting to be held as soon as is convenient
and not less than 14 days written notice of any Special General
Meeting shall be sent to each member, by the Secretary, together with
a notice specifying the business to be discussed thereat. No other
business shall be allowed. The quorum for a Special General Meeting
shall be 30 per cent of fully paid up Club members. Should the
members present at the Special General Meeting support the motion by
a simple majority, the person or persons whose resignation is sought
shall resign his/her office immediately. Should the motion before
the meeting call for the resignation of the Secretary, then the
duties of the Secretary for arranging, either a postal/email vote
when the motion has been raised at the AGM, or for organising a
Special General Meeting, shall be undertaken by a club member
selected by the Committee. An Independent Chairman may preside at a
Special General Meeting if the members present so wish
9. EXAMINATION OF ACCOUNTS
An
independent person, who shall not be an Officer or a Committee Member
of the Club, shall be appointed by the Membership at each AGM to
examine the accounts for the club and shall be eligible for
re-election.
10. AMENDMENT OF RULES
No
new rule shall be made, except as under Rule 6h such rules to be
ratified at the next AGM, nor shall any rules be amended or
rescinded, unless notice of the proposed changes have been given on
the agenda of the Annual General Meeting, and unless the proposed
changes shall have received the assent of at least two thirds of the
members present, at such a meeting.
11. FINANCE
The financial year of the Club shall end on the 30th
November in each year; to which date the annual accounts of the Club
shall be balanced. The property of the Club shall be vested in the
Committee. Payments, with the exception of sums under £100 shall be
authorised only by the signature of any two of the following
Officers; The Chairman, or in his/her absence, the Vice-Chairman, the
Treasurer and the Secretary.
12. SURRENDER OF BOOKS, RECORDS ETC.
All Officers or members of the Club who, under these rules or in
pursuance of these rules, have custody of any books, documents,
accounts, property or monies belonging to the Club, shall return them
to a member of the Committee on resignation.
13. DISSOLUTION OF THE CLUB
Any proposal to dissolve the Club shall only be considered at a
Special General Meeting upon fourteen days minimum notice to
members. If the motion to dissolve the Club is confirmed by at least
two thirds of the total Club membership, the Club’s liabilities shall
be discharged and any balance of funds shall be donated in equal
proportions to the Winn Foundation and the Feline Advisory Bureau, or
if the organisations are no longer in existence, a cat related
charity preferably undertaking research into cat diseases. At this
Special General Meeting, but at no other meeting, members shall be
allowed to vote by proxy. Proxy forms obtainable from the Secretary.
DUTIES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Chairman and Vice-Chairman
Shall preside at all meetings and ensure that such meetings are
conducted in a proper and orderly manner in accordance with the Club
rules and rules of debate. Can request the withdrawal of any person
who is in his/her opinion guilty of grossly improper behaviour,
always providing that he/she issues to such person a prior warning.
To preserve an impartial and fair attitude in all matters of debate,
to put all motions to the vote and to declare the results which shall
thereafter constitute the official results of such voting.
Secretary
Shall run the Club generally with the support of the Officers and
Committee. Shall keep minutes of meetings, and pass correspondence
to the relevant Officer/Committee member or bring it to the attention
of the whole committee, as appropriate. Arrange AGM or Special
General Meetings with the assistance of the committee.
Honorary Treasurer
Shall collect subscriptions for banking, together with any other
monies. Pay invoices, having checked these are in order. Notifies
Committee if over-spending occurs. Arranges for a statement of
accounts to be prepared and independently examined each year and for
a copy of such to be available for the AGM. Pays expenses and sends
receipts to members. Keeps financial books in order.
Committee
Support the Officers, help and represent the members.
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